


Before The Night Comes Falling From The Sky

by Chisscake (Chaosite)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Outbound Flight - Timothy Zahn, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Car'das is Nightswan, Cygni still gets mentioned, First Kiss, M/M, Reunions, basically Nightswan is a double act because creatively I wanted it to happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 05:17:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16382111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaosite/pseuds/Chisscake
Summary: Meeting face to face with their greatest adversary doesn't go exactly as they expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just really really wanted it to be Car'das. Even though I knew it was not going to happen. I'm not good at letting go.

“What the hell are we waiting for, I’ve got business to run,” Eli spat impatiently, trying not to show his growing uneasiness. He was hoping they’d lead him deeper into the Nomand, but instead they stayed in the docking hangar, hovering around the freighter and eyeing each other suspiciously.

“What? We not good enough for you anymore?” One of the men snorted, but still had not moved from his post by Eli’s side.

“Not if you keep wasting my time,” Eli answered testily, straightening his ill-fitting tunic.

The guard was opening his mouth to retort, but then faltered at the sound of footsteps echoing through the hangar. The wait seemed to be over, and Eli was torn between feeling relieved and concerned.

"Thank you, gentlemen, I’ll be taking it from here.”

While Eli thought his play at “arrogant self-confidence” had been at least mildly successful, the man walking then towards them in graceful stride put that entire performance to shame. There was an effortless kind of nonchalance in his movements, one that made Eli expect to be greeted with a quirked eyebrow, a roguish smile and some blaster-swinging. In the end, he wasn't sure what threw him off more, the quiet determination evident on the man’s tanned face, or those brown eyes boring into him with unsettling intensity.

The man picked up the hold-out blaster from one of the guards and dismissed him with a quick gesture, his attention still focused on Eli.

“Commander Vanto, I presume.” He nodded briefly.

Eli raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms defiantly. No need to make it too easy for the guy, was there?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, pal,” he said, a hint of challenge in his voice.

The man just threw him a clearly amused look, and then started carefully examining the hold-out blaster. Eli’s heart sank a little when he tossed it into the far corner of the docking hangar.

“All right, let’s make it quick.” The man clasped his hands behind his back. “I need to talk to your… Admiral, is it now?” he frowned. “Honestly, I can barely keep up with how he goes through the ranks. They could be making him the Emperor right now, for all I know.”

“Again. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eli said stiffly, his fingers brushing the lieutenant’s plaque. They seemed to be completely alone in the hangar, but he was sure there were guards nearby, ready and waiting for any sign of trouble. He didn’t need much, though. Just a small distraction, enough to overpower the man and then alert Thrawn. There had to be a way for him to get away before…

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t,” the man warned, his voice surprisingly soft. “I can see you’re planning something stupidly reckless and, honestly? I don’t even blame you. He has a way of inspiring loyalty that will make you do those kind of things, but I assure you, there’s no need. I really don’t mean him any harm. The only torture I’ll be putting him through will be my abysmal Cheunh.”

“You know the Chiss language,” Eli said dryly, trying to process what he just heard. He was sure he had never seen the man around Thrawn, and yet he spoke of the Admiral with a familiarity of someone who knew him personally, and with badly concealed fondness at that.

“Some of it. It was supposed to be a mutual exchange, but I guess I got the short end of the stick,” he paused, while Eli just kept staring blankly. “Come on, he never told you how he picked up Basic? I was the one who taught him.”

“He never deemed it important enough to mention.” Eli replied icily. “Besides, when we first met him, we had to resort to communicating mostly in Sy Bisti, you understand.”

 “Well, aren’t you adorable,” the man snorted, rolling his eyes. “Now let’s go and get him before he blows up the ship.”

“ _We_ are not going anywhere.”

“ _We_ are on my ship. I’m the one giving orders here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t quite catch that.” Eli shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Who are you supposed to be, again?”

The man sighed. “Well, as I hoped you have already guessed, I am Nightswan. But please, call me- “, he paused looking at something behind Eli, a tentative smile forming on his lips.

“Jorj.”

Eli started at the sound of Thrawn’s voice. There was a kind of breathless, almost awed quality about it that made him turn and stare at the Admiral in sheer disbelief. Thrawn looked at the man who offhandedly proclaimed himself to be Nightswan, their most notable adversary in the past years, with a mixture of incredulity and wonder. It was such a far cry from the Chiss’ usual cold composure, that Eli wasn’t sure whether to laugh or grab his shoulders and shake him back into normalcy.

“Hello to you, too.” Nightswan took a step forward, and that apparently was enough to wake Thrawn up from his weird stupor.   

“I think we are quite done here.” He seemed to have regained his usual cool manner, but after years of observing the Admiral, Eli was able to tell he was still quite shaken. From the small, satisfied smile on Nightswan’s face, it looked like he noticed that, too. “Jorj, if you’d like to join us on the freighter?”

“Excuse me?!” Eli froze mid-step.

“He’s right.” Nightswan shrugged, walking past him. “It’s not safe to talk here. For you, at least”, he hesitated. “And for me as well, since I was supposed to introduce you to my associate, and then most probably kill you, and yet we’re all still here, wasting our time.”

“So instead we’re taking an enemy on the board of an Imperial Star Destroyer,” Eli said incredulously.

“I’ll introduce him as my informant,” Thrawn replied as if _that_ was the problem. “I promise I’ll explain everything as soon as we have the opportunity,” he added placatorily, noticing Eli’s tight expression.

“Well, I think we should at least handcuff him,” muttered Eli.

“Maybe later,” Nightswan winked at him.

Eli shook his head and turned back to Thrawn. “Please, give me one reason why I shouldn’t just arrest him on the spot.”

“Because he’s my friend. And I trust him.”


	2. Chapter 2

He wasn’t sure if it was the dim light of his cabin, or the soft hum of the ship engines around them, but the scene felt somehow surreal, like an artwork itself. A study in sudden onslaught of longing one was not aware of, but found had been a crushing presence accompanying his every step, one that was brought to an end, and yet still clung to his skin.

Car’das was looking around as in a daze, carefully examining the surroundings, but his eyes kept wandering to one Corellian art piece, all vibrant colours, daring forms and soft edges. Thrawn had purchased it on a whim, asking for the price the moment he saw it, and still wasn’t sure who had been more puzzled by that spontaneous purchase, Eli or himself.

_“Are you planning on invading Corellia now?” Eli asked, eyeing the sculpture skeptically. “Wait, has that been your plan all along? Learn all our weaknesses, one artwork at a time, and then launch some kind of particularized invasion?”_

_“That sounds terribly inefficient and time-consuming.” Thrawn frowned. “I’ll have you know I am capable of appreciating art for its own sake.”_

_“Right.” Eli raised his eyebrow in mock disbelief. “So, what’s so special about this one?”_

_“I’m not sure,” Thrawn admitted, studying the piece in quiet wonder. “It just seems… familiar.”_

“It really is you,” Jorj said softly, glancing at Thrawn, then at the art, like its presence was somehow making him more tangible. “After I first heard the rumours I managed to obtain some actual information, had multiple sources confirm your identity, but…,” he shook his head. “I can’t believe you got exiled! I mean, I know you had a penchant for getting in trouble with your superiors, and all the court-martials I’ve been hearing about tell me you still do, but it just seems… extreme. Not to say terribly stupid.”

Thrawn couldn’t help smiling. Trust Jorj to get angry on his behalf even after they had not seen each other for years.

“The Chiss didn’t actually exile me,” he said. “We just had to make it appear like they did.”

“Oh.” Jorj averted his eyes, visibly embarrassed by his outburst.

The distance between them was something new and alien. Thrawn loathed its presence, and yet he couldn’t will his body to move to close it, not when Jorj would still barely look at him, not when they were still so unsure about their respectful places in each other’s lives.

“It’s all part of a bigger plan,” he explained awkwardly instead.

“Isn’t it always with you?” Car’das let out an amused huff.

“It isn’t now.”

“Oh?” Jorj took a small step closer. “Are you saying you don’t have a place for Nightswan in this elaborate plot of yours?”

“For Nightswan, yes. For you?” Thrawn shook his head. “When it comes to you, Jorj, I always seem to find myself greatly under-prepared.” That quiet confession was what finally made Car’das look at him, eyes wide and disbelieving.

“I…”, he hesitated, then took a deep breath. “I guess I have some explaining to do.”

“Only if you wish. Despite the pretense we came up with, you are not under an obligation to tell me anything.”

“Seriously? And you’ll… what? Just let me go?”

 That simple question left Thrawn stunned for a moment. It took him a lot longer than it should to come up with any answer that wasn't a variant of _No, never again_.

“You are not under arrest,” he said eventually. “And I won’t keep you here by force, nor will I allow anyone to do so.”

Car’das glanced at him thoughtfully, then sighed. “All right. Good to know, I guess. Still, I do believe I owe you _some_ explanations, at least. Besides, we both know, that no matter what I tell you, everything has come too far for it to make a difference.” He leaned heavily on Thrawn’s desk. “For the record, I never actually wanted to get this involved. I was only supposed to lead the smuggling operations, make some money off it and then go my own way. But then my associate happened to stumble upon you.” Jorj managed a strained smile. “You made quite an impression, you know? He sat me down in the nearest cantina and regaled me with a detailed account about meeting an alien serving in the Imperial Navy, ‘ _Lieutenant Thrawn or something like that’_ , and I just gaped at him the entire time, completely dumbstruck, wondering if someone spiked my drink. Because all of sudden you were here, in my part of the Galaxy, and it felt so unreal I needed to see for myself."

“You chose a pretty unorthodox way.” Thrawn pointed out, arching one brow.

“Well, it’s not like I could just call up the Imperial Command and ask if it’s okay to speak with you,” Car’das deadpanned. “Cygni needed my experience, so I stayed. I admit, I was thinking about cutting him off when he started to get too political, but some of the things we uncovered…” Jorj shook his head. “I decided it was better to stay in the loop, closer to the secrets, closer to…” he paused and looked tiredly at Thrawn. “I never told him we knew each other. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if you still remembered me.”

“Jorj, how could I not.”

“It’s been years.” He shrugged. “My novelty status was gone when you started surrounding yourself with other humans, and I do know for a fact, that we tend to find you irresistibly charming,” he added with a playful wink.

Thrawn let out a surprised laugh. “So you say. From my experience, most people seem to find me aggravating.”

“Well, it’s a special brand of charm. It takes a while to get used to."

There was a carefree smile on Jorj’s face that made him seem younger. Thrawn felt his own breath hitch.

“I missed you,” Jorj exhaled, and then froze, his entire posture going rigid.

"Jorj…” he started, not even sure what he was going to say, but Car’das beat him to it.

“Well, it’s true,” he said, raising his chin defiantly. “Back then, it never occurred to me to just… stay. It’s not that I assumed I wouldn’t be allowed to anyway, I just never thought about it. Until I left,” he paused, his mouth set in a hard line. “But I had a life to build for myself, and in my line of work you can’t afford to wallow in your regrets, so I pulled myself together and it was fine. Better than fine. But then suddenly you were here, gallivanting around the Galaxy and I…,” he deflated and closed his eyes. “I just missed you so much.”

“Jorj,” Thrawn tried again, finally, _finally_ able to move, to cross the distance between them, close enough to almost-touch, to look and catalogue, and re-learn.

“I used to wish I had been braver back then,” Car’das continued quietly, gaze focused on his fingers clutching at the edge of the desk. He startled when Thrawn covered them with his palm, then slowly relaxed his grip. “I promised myself, positive it’s never going to happen anyway, that the next time I see you, I’ll do something about it," he paused, his face unreadable. "I was young and stupid.”

“And now?”

“Well, now I’m definitely older,” Jorj said breathlessly, looking up at Thrawn. “But I don’t seem to be any wiser.”

Car’das lips were so very warm, and Thrawn briefly wondered how one could miss the taste of something they never got to try before. His fingers tangled in Jorj’s soft locks as he breathed him in, the warmth nearly overwhelming. There was a small sound, caught between joy and disbelief, and for once he wasn’t sure if it came from him or the man in his arms. Jorj’s hands were wandering all over his body, unable to settle, as if mapping him whole, or making sure he won’t disappear, so Thrawn pulled him in even closer, basking in his heat, hoping it’ll seep deep into his bones and stay there forever.

He released Jorj’s mouth and tried to focus again, maybe even say something, but he became momentarily transfixed by every little detail he caught; the blue of his own hands on tanned skin, Jorj’s brown eyes, dark and hazy, the rough scrape of stubble under his fingertips. He leaned in again to kiss a small, happy smile slowly forming on Jorj’s lips, for once giving in to the moment of pure indulgence, the exhilaration so different, but at the same time so alike the rush after winning a particularly complex battle.

“Please,” Car’das whispered into his mouth, over and over, in Basic, Sy Bisti and broken Cheunh, that made Thrawn’s heart soar.

“Anything, Jorj, anything.”

“Don’t let me leave again.”

Thrawn leaned back, searching Jorj’s flushed face, his expression wavering between hopeful and uncertain. He caught the fingers absently caressing his cheek and placed a soft kiss at their tips.

“I won’t. Not if I can help it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic for this ship and it took me way longer that I thought it would. Still, I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it, too.  
> I'm not sure if I'll write anything more in this AU, although it is tempting. They'll probably end up dismantling the Death Star together or something. And I can't help but imagine Eli developing a massive crush on Car'das and getting all upset about it.


End file.
